Ask Away Wednesday: Turkey Day Edition

by TaylorR

Today might be the last day of work for you, or perhaps you’re already off. Regardless, it’s a day to celebrate and get pumped up for what’s to come… tomorrow is a day of family, friends, love and food.

I likely will not be posting tomorrow since I’ll be up and in the kitchen just like most of you. It won’t be all work though, I always start the Thanksgiving with my favorite holiday movie, Love Actually.

Back in the day, I used to watch the Macy’s Parade, but Dan hate parades. As a way to compromise he offered to put in my favorite Christmas movie instead, and it has stuck. I figure it’s one of the few times I get to watch a chick flick without any eye rolling and mumbling, so I’ll take it.

And he would rather sit through Hugh Grant dancing around then watch Snoopy come down the road. So, it’s a win-win.

The reason I just went into that was because it was a Ask Away Wednesday question I recently received. Well, the exact question was “Will you be running a turkey day run or working out on Thanksgiving.” The answer… nope. I would rather watch my movie then run a race.

But that puts me into the other Ask Away Wednesday questions… Turkey Day Edition. I hope you enjoy!

Q: In regards to eating before the big meal, what’s best? I try to avoid eating all together since I know I’ll be eating more than normal at dinner.

A: Don’t skip out on meal! Please, don’t do it. Wake up, have a great family breakfast filled with protein, healthy fats and carbs to help keep your hunger at bay.

Depending on what time you eat (we eat at around 1-2pm) you might want to have a mini lunch or snack of around 200 calories.

Here’s the thing, if you skip out on all your meals before the turkey is carved, you’ll be ravenous and end up eating more calories than you would have if you simply ate a healthy breakfast and lunch.

Q: What is a fast way to get a decent workout in between cooking and before the family comes over?

A:There are so many things you can do! I’m going to share my challenge with you that I begin yesterday. Yesterday, a friend and I decided on a 30-30 fitness challenge. 30 burpees, everyday for 30 days. Just that spout of 30 burpees gets your heart thumping and makes you feel great.

I’m on day 3 today, so it’s not too late! Plus it takes less than 5 minutes. For Thanksgiving, I challenge you to attempt 50 burpees (and extra 20 for the stuffing).

What do you say?

Q: Taylor, I have done really well with my diet lately. I have been tracking it on a daily basis and really conscious of portions. I don’t want to mess it all up on Thanksgiving, any tips on preparing my plate?

A:Yes!! Recently, I was on the local news and was asked that very same question.

Here are a few tips I suggest following:

Don’t go wimpy. If you prepare your plate with the idea of just a “scoop” of this or a “dollop” of that, you’ll end up unsatisfied when you see everyone else’s plates piled high. For your plate, add what you want and fill it up. You’ll be satisfied and won’t go back for seconds. If you finish eating 10 minutes before everyone else, you won’t be able to reject the pull of the leftovers. Cut that cable!

Plate split. When you make your plate, have 1/4 of it for turkey, 1/4 for the mash potatoes/rice/etc, and 1/2 for veggie sides. You’ll feel less stuffed (but still quite content) and have more energy after the meal is over. Plus you’ll consume overall less calories.

Wait it out. Wait 10-15 minutes before getting a slice of pumpkin pie. It takes that long for your body to register fullness. Going straight for the sweets will have you eating more than your fair share. Wait for your fullness to set it before cutting the slice, chances are your piece will be a tad smaller but still just as delicious.

Did you know that the average American eats around 3000 calories worth of Thanksgiving food? That’s about 2x the average caloric intake for a women. One day of bad eating isn’t going to kill you, what will kill your figure is the start of the holiday baking, parties and hectic schedules that tend to tempt you away from workouts.